Iron rich vegetarian recipes?

[SAMbike]

Hi,
I had blood tests done and learned that I am right on the edge of the low range of anemia. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian so no red meat. I'm looking for good recipes that provide lots of iron and vitamin C because I'd like to increase my iron from real foods vs. taking supplements. Anyone have good recipes to share? Thanks!

[margo49]

Add a handful of red lentils to your pasta sauce (and some water to cook them in).
I have done this for years and last night DS#2 said he has never tasted a better pasta sauce than mine. Which I explained to him that was because only Mum adds red lentils!
Tahini of course, pref with whole sesame seeds (sometimes I think it is called sesame butter)
Keep your dairy separate. This aids absorption. In other words have at least one non-dairy meal a day.

[Zen]

NutritionData.com (http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000119000000000000000.html) is a fantastic reference tool.

[michelem]

Try this link too:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

[Duck on Wheels]

Parsley is, I'm told, a good source of iron. And vit. c together with iron sources is supposed to help. So use lots of fresh parsley and ditto lemon on your salads, maybe? And spinach, of course. So make that a spinach salad.

[OakLeaf]

10-20 oz frozen chopped spinach, partially cooked and drained
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained
1 egg or equivalent powdered egg substitute (if using egg substitute, use powder only and do not add liquid)
Soy sauce, salt, black pepper, red pepper, ground mustard seed, marjoram, other seasonings to taste

Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach. (Save the liquid for broth.) Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the tofu. Crumble the tofu and mix all ingredients. Form into patties and fry over medium heat until browned and cooked through.

[OakLeaf]

Wow, I followed one of those links, I had no idea quinoa was so rich in iron! You can throw quinoa into lentil soup. I like to make bean salad with quinoa in the summertime, when it's too hot to eat hot food. 2 parts cooked quinoa, 1 part cooked beans (I like kidney beans or blackeye peas), toss with diced raw onion and green pepper and minced parsley and your favorite vinaigrette.

[margo49]

Yeah, quinoa 's got everything.
Pity it looks, smells and tastes so awful :(

[SAMbike]

Thanks very much everyone! These links and suggestions are really helpful. Now I just have to continue to be conscious about this and work it into my food routine. Much appreciated!

[VeloVT]

Also, you probably do this already, but cook your tomato sauce/other tomato dishes in cast iron. The acidity of the tomatoes leeches iron out of the pots.

Oakleaf, those spinach tofu burgers sound really good!

[limewave]

Yeah, quinoa 's got everything.
Pity it looks, smells and tastes so awful :(

I LOVE Quinoa! I make it as a pilaf using veg. stock instead of water.

Also, a Quinoa Veg. Soup Recipe:

3/4 cup dry Quinoa
6 Cups veg stock or water
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup onion
1/2 cup carrot chopped
1/4 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tbs curry powder (optional)

Saute the quinoa, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until golden brown. Add veg. broth, tomatoes, and cabbage and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste. You can add beans too.

[limewave]

Parsley is, I'm told, a good source of iron. And vit. c together with iron sources is supposed to help. So use lots of fresh parsley and ditto lemon on your salads, maybe? And spinach, of course. So make that a spinach salad.

It contains three times as much vitamin C as oranges, and twice as much iron as spinach

. . . and it's easy to add to recipes because it has a pretty mild taste. I always add it to brown rice or quinoa when I make a pilaf. I keep a bunch in my fridge at all times.

[Andrea]

I don't want to get too far off topic, but don't forget that aerobic training (especially in the heat) increases your plasma volume (the volume of the liquid portion of your blood). It can appear to be borderline anemia, even though you may have a sufficient amount of red blood cells.
A LOT of doctors don't know much about exercise physiology- my training partner was told that he was borderline, and when he informed the doctor that he exercised very hard in the heat all summer, the doc had no idea why that would effect his hematocrit.

Just something to think about- I'm vegetarian, also... I can't wait to try the recipes you guys have listed!

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, quinoa 's got everything.
Pity it looks, smells and tastes so awful :(

Are you rinsing it very, very thoroughly before cooking??? Probably not the grain to eat during a water shortage, because you really have to run a lot of water through it to get the saponins off, not like rinsing rice.

I agree it's too sweet for a lot of recipes, but it works really well in the bean salad, and also in lentil soup.

[margo49]

I knew that quinoa had saponins but I *thot* that by the time we buy it that it is already rinsed. I read about those two guys from Boulder that brought it first to the US and got the impression they had organised that exported quinoa was rinsed of the saponin layer coating or whatever it is.
Maybe that is part of my prob.

[OakLeaf]

If it has an acrid smell it definitely needs to be rinsed. Eden brand that we get in the US does. I can't speak to anything else.

[Tuckervill]

Okay, Andrea, does that mean we shouldn't feel symptoms of low iron? I mean, if we have enough RBCs, but high plasma volume--we shouldn't have any symptoms?

I think I've been struggling with low iron related to my cycle for years and maybe decades but I always come up okay on blood tests (except when I try to give blood and they prick my finger). No doctor has ever taken me seriously enough. Today I had a work out and then went shopping, but I was in bed asleep by 4 pm dead to the world. I can't think of what it might be other than low iron.

I just have to get this checked out a little more thoroughly.

Karen


I don't want to get too far off topic, but don't forget that aerobic training (especially in the heat) increases your plasma volume (the volume of the liquid portion of your blood). It can appear to be borderline anemia, even though you may have a sufficient amount of red blood cells.
A LOT of doctors don't know much about exercise physiology- my training partner was told that he was borderline, and when he informed the doctor that he exercised very hard in the heat all summer, the doc had no idea why that would effect his hematocrit.

Just something to think about- I'm vegetarian, also... I can't wait to try the recipes you guys have listed!

[SAMbike]

Thanks for the additional info Andrea. My RBC is 4.09 M/uL (normal 4.2-5.4) and my HCT (hematocrit) is 37.7% (norm: 38.0-47.0). So you think that this might just be low in relation to my plasma level ... I could ask the doctor about that. Thank you.


I don't want to get too far off topic, but don't forget that aerobic training (especially in the heat) increases your plasma volume (the volume of the liquid portion of your blood). It can appear to be borderline anemia, even though you may have a sufficient amount of red blood cells.
A LOT of doctors don't know much about exercise physiology- my training partner was told that he was borderline, and when he informed the doctor that he exercised very hard in the heat all summer, the doc had no idea why that would effect his hematocrit.

Just something to think about- I'm vegetarian, also... I can't wait to try the recipes you guys have listed!

[Andrea]

Karen- if everything looks OK in your bloodwork & you're that tired, it probably is a good idea to get checked out.
If your tests look just a little below normal (like Sam), but you otherwise feel fine, then it's probably just being adapted to aerobic exercise.

You could take advantage of it and request a shot of EPO :eek:

[Jolt]

Are you rinsing it very, very thoroughly before cooking??? Probably not the grain to eat during a water shortage, because you really have to run a lot of water through it to get the saponins off, not like rinsing rice.


You can also soak it for a couple hours to get the saponins off, then change water and soak it a little more--that would use less water than just rinsing under running water (but takes more planning).

[Andrea]

I LOVE Quinoa! I make it as a pilaf using veg. stock instead of water.

Also, a Quinoa Veg. Soup Recipe:

3/4 cup dry Quinoa
6 Cups veg stock or water
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup onion
1/2 cup carrot chopped
1/4 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tbs curry powder (optional)

Saute the quinoa, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until golden brown. Add veg. broth, tomatoes, and cabbage and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste. You can add beans too.

I tried it, and it's great! As always, I modified/personalized the recipe to my own liking- I didn't use cabbage (just because I'm not too fond of it), put some bay leaves in while it simmered, used 4 cloves of garlic, and also threw in about 2 tbls of Worcestershire sauce (that technically makes it non-vegetarian, but adds a lot of flavor).